The “J6 Awards Gala” by the nonprofit Stand in the Gap was scheduled for September, 3rd at the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster. The purpose of the gathering, according to the internet listing, was to honor “all J6 defendants who have showed amazing courage and sacrifice” and to raise funds.
However, the event has been rescheduled.
Prior to the postponement being posted on the event’s website, the Capitol riot defendants were to be honored on September 5. The event’s future date, time, and location are still unknown.
Although (Donald) Trump received an invitation to the function, it was unclear if he would attend. Among the other invited speakers were social media star Bryce Hall, UFC fighter Colby Covington, and former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani.
The invitation on the fundraiser website listed general admission tickets at $1,500 and a single VIP ticket at $2,500. For $30,000 and $50,000, there were bundle tickets available for a table of twelve.
The response was severe.
A number of people, including Olivia Troye, a former counselor to Mike Pence, expressed shock at the incident on social media.
Troye, who supported Kamala Harris for vice president, wrote on X, “Celebrating the people who threatened the life of (Trump’s) own Vice President & celebrating violence is a deadly assault on our democracy & a terrible rewriting of history.” “We need to unite as a group to oppose him.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., refrained from commenting on whether Trump ought to have gone to the event had it taken place, but he did denounce the protesters. The Trump business owns the golf course, which hosted LIV Golf competitions in 2022 and 2023.
Graham stated on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday, “I have no sympathy for individuals who broke into the Capitol, damaged the place, and hurt police officers.” Graham said, “I’ll leave it up to him as to what causes to support,” in response to a question on whether Trump should permit the event to take place.
The event was described as “a slap in the face to every police officer who defended our Capitol in its darkest hour and every American who believes in the rule of law,” Harris-Walz spokesperson Sarafina Chitika told USA Today. “Most Americans believe the January 6 rioters who violently attacked police officers and tried to overthrow an election belong in jail.”
What took place on January 6?
A sizable contingent of protestors allied with the Trump camp broke into the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, while Congress was verifying the results of the 2020 presidential election.
As of May 2024, charges against over 1,424 individuals resulted from investigations into the disturbances, according to a Justice Department statement.
According to the announcement, there were over 140 assaults on police personnel during the uprising. After being attacked with chemical spray and suffering two strokes, one officer, Brian Sicknick of South River, New Jersey, passed away. The weeks after the attack saw the suicide deaths of four more officers.
Four other assailants perished as well, among them Ashli Babbitt, 35, a veteran of the Air Force who was shot and killed by police while attempting to burst through a door to a protected location. Since then, Trump supporters have elevated Babbitt to the status of a martyr.
The rioting resulted in Trump’s second impeachment. The former president was charged with trying to rig the election in a federal criminal proceeding following the uprising.
